Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC Has $3.89 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 23.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,674 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,909 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.7% of Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $120.23 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.66 and a 1 year high of $125.14. The company has a market capitalization of $296.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.